Choose a tree to complement or set the tone in your landscaping palette. The Purple Orchid tree, Bauhinia purpurea, a favorite in Hong Kong, can grace your lawn, or for an elegant and bold statement try the majestic Magnolia. The world’s most beautiful tree is considered by many to be the purple flowering Jacaranda . It line streets, plazas and parks all over Buenos Aires.

A favored tree in US gardens is the Angel’s Trumpet. Its medium stature is dramatically accented by giant, fragrant flowere in white, yellow, pink and even red. The size of the flowers against the tree make me conjure fairy-tale images straight from Grimm.

Even if you don’t have a grand estate in which to showcase a massive tree, many species will fare well in container culture. Try one.